President

“…Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you…We were born to make manifest the glory…that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” - Marianne Williamson

Angela B. Freeman is a registered Patent Attorney working as an Associate in the Indianapolis office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP. Ms. Freeman is a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property Department and Life Sciences Practice Group where she first began her practice as a law clerk. With a background of nearly 15 years as a biologist, Ms. Freeman assists clients in intellectual property matters involving highly technical subject matter. Ms. Freeman is admitted to practice in the state of Indiana, before the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Prior to her legal career, Ms. Freeman was a biologist at global pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly & Company (Lilly). In 2007, she received the Lilly Chairman’s Ovation Award for Global Leadership in Diversity and in 2010 she was awarded the Eli Lilly Law Alumni Scholarship. She has additional research experience in the molecular, cellular, and craniofacial biology department at a Louisville area birth defects center. In her time as a biologist, Ms. Freeman was a regular contributor to publications and presentations on topics related to genetic and biological research.

In 2012, Ms. Freeman earned her law degree and was one of the first recipients of a concentration in Intellectual Property from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law where she was honored with a 2014 Alumni Spotlight from the Center of Intellectual Property Law and Innovation. In 2000, she earned her master’s degree in molecular biology from the University of Louisville in Kentucky where her graduate thesis research examined the phylogenetic relationship among fungal strains and their plant hosts. She also earned her undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry from the University of Louisville in 1996.

Ms. Freeman was selected to join the 2014-2015 Leadership United Program Class sponsored by the United Way of Central Indiana. In 2014, Ms. Freeman was named as a Finalist for the Indy's Best and Brightest Award for Law sponsored by Junior Achievement of Central Indiana, and as an "Up and Coming Lawyer" by The Indiana Lawyer in 2015 for professional and legal achievements early in her practice. In 2017, Ms. Freeman received the Center for Leadership Development’s (CLD) Minority Achiever’s Award for Achievement in Science & Technical Disciplines. In 2019, Ms. Freeman was honored with a Youth Empowerment award from the Indianapolis Professional Association (IPA) and also graduated from the 43rd class of the Stanley K. Lacy (SKL) Executive Leadership Program (SKL XLIII).

Ms. Freeman is a member of the American Bar Association; Indiana Bar Association, Marion County Bar Association, and the Indianapolis Bar Association. She is also a member of the University of Louisville and Indiana University Alumni Associations, and is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.

For over two decades, throughout her scientific and legal careers, Ms. Freeman has been a strong advocate and has diligently promoted the need for more diversity, particularly more diverse women and girls in the Indiana community and nationally, to get involved and excel in STEM fields. In her quest to expose diverse women and children to positive possibilities, she has sought to influence their lives through education, inspiration, and awareness. Ms. Freeman believes that every exposure to education in any form is an opportunity to positively influence a person in a way that may transform their life. Therefore, Ms. Freeman attempts to capitalize on opportunities to learn from others while also trying to be a catalyst of inspiration to promote positive change and transformation in this and the next generation.